Sunday Times 2
‘Sex slave’ lawyers to serve papers on Prince Andrew at Washington embassy
Lawyers for the alleged teenage ‘sex slave’ who says she slept with Prince Andrew are trying to serve papers on him via the British Embassy.
They claim the duke last week refused to accept a letter asking him to testify on oath about the allegations made by Virginia Roberts. In a bid to try again, Miss Roberts’ lawyer said yesterday: ‘We are attempting delivery through the British Embassy in Washington.’
Britain's Prince Andrew gestures as he speaks to business leaders during a reception on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos (REUTERS)
The development came the day after Andrew spoke publicly to deny that he had sex with Miss Roberts.
In an unprecedented move, the duke used a televised speech in Davos to ‘reaffirm’ Buckingham Palace’s emphatic denials that he had ever had ‘any form of sexual contact or relationship’ with his accuser.
Reading from carefully scripted notes, the prince said: ‘Firstly I think I must, and want, for the record to refer to the events that have taken place in the last few weeks.
‘And I just wish to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements which have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace.’
He added: ‘My focus is on my work and this evening’s reception allows me to tell you about just a couple of the initiatives that I have founded and am passionate about.’
The Duke looked sombre as he left his £13million ski chalet in Klosters, Switzerland, today and is expected to make another appearance at the forum.
The lurid accusations have overshadowed his trip to the World Economic Forum, where he was a key speaker.
Miss Roberts alleges Andrew abused her on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17 – in London, New York and at an orgy with other girls in the Caribbean.
The extraordinary letter sent to the duke by her lawyers states: ‘This is a formal request to interview you under oath… at a time and place of your choosing.’
But they say couriers FedEx returned the letter because it was ‘refused’ by the recipient at Buckingham Palace.
It remains to be seen whether the British Embassy in Washington would accept any letter sent on behalf of Miss Roberts. When asked about the possibility last night, a spokesman for the Foreign Office sighed and said he had no information.
Legal experts also say the duke runs the risk of being ambushed with a subpoena next time he visits the US.
If he were handed disposition papers, he would in theory be obliged to attend a court hearing or face the threat of jail. Whether he has diplomatic or royal immunity has never been tested in international law.
The damaging claims emerged at the start of the month when Miss Roberts lodged papers with a US court as part of a legal battle against Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire convicted paedophile.
In the papers, she claimed Epstein not only abused her from the age of 15 but had also ‘procured’ her for several of his ‘powerful’ friends, including Andrew.
© Daily Mail, London